Fernandes Sustainer-Any Experience?

[Lee Bob]

Does anyone here have experience with the Frenandes Sustainer system? I suddenly have some GAS for a Fernandes Ravelle. The Ravelle Deluxe with JB/Jazz set looks decent for the money but the Ravelle Elite with JB/Sustainer intrigues me.

How does the neck pickup sound with the Sustainer off? When it IS on, does it dramatically affect tone? Is there a pickup you can compare the tone of it to? (Jazz, '59, Alnico II Pro)

Any info or notes on your experience with it would be appreciated.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Fernandes Sustainer-Any Experience?

I had a revolver with the single-sized sustainer for a while. The sustainer is fun as hell, and with a bit of imagination you can do some very interesting things. My fave trick was to set up a low gain tone with a very stuttery tremolo and then hold a note and manipulate it with the bar. The results sound like a sequencer with a stomach upset.

The sustainer uses the bridge pickup only in sustainer mode, so you can't get a neck tone and use the sustainer, which is a drag. The single coil-sized sustainer pickup I had in mine was acceptable, but I wouldn't rate it up there with a nice strat single coil.